


You Always Spoke to Me

by tptigger



Category: Power Rangers Dino Charge, Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Genre: F/M, Gen, Trent Fernandez/KIra Ford (background)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 23:51:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13259205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tptigger/pseuds/tptigger
Summary: Kira Ford is playing a concert in Amber Beach and the Dino Charge Rangers in general and Shelby in particular are stoked to go.





	You Always Spoke to Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AncientElemental](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AncientElemental/gifts).



> I don't think this is quite the prompt you had in mind, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

The Rangers were settled in the living room of the boys' apartment, each working on their own thing. Tyler was going through his dad's journal, Riley was reading to himself. Koda and Kendall sat together with a book open between them as Koda carefully sounding out the words. Ivan and Chase were doing the same.

Shelby was on her computer, ostensibly working on her biology lab report. She leapt to her feet, a high pitched squeal emitting from her. "Oh my G-d!!"

"What?" asked Tyler.

"Shelby OK?"

"That's a squee, Koda, it means she's excited," Chase said. "Though I wouldn't have expected it from Shelby."

Shelby rolled her eyes. "You don't understand! Kira Ford is playing at the Amber Beach Amphitheater! Tickets go on sale tomorrow!"

"Kira Ford?" Chase grinned.

Shelby strode over, poking Chase in the shoulder. "Don't you start, Chase Randall."

"I was about to ask if you wanted company, I like her too." Chase batted her hand away.

"Count me in," Tyler said quickly.

Ivan smirked and Chase flat out grinned.

"What?" Shelby asked.

"Nothing," Ivan and Chase said at once.

Koda closed the book. "Who Kira Ford?"

"She's a musician, Koda," Chase said.

"A musician?" Shelby crossed her arms, glaring at Chase. "She's a genius! Her songs are awesome, and there were times, in high school, I felt like she was singing just to me."

Koda tilted his head. "Was she?"

"Not really, it's just..." Shelby trailed off. 

"It's this feeling like when you think no one understands something and you find a song, or a book, or a tv show that just reflects exactly what you're feeling back to you in such a way that it finally makes sense," Tyler said.

"Exactly," Shelby said, "thanks Tyler. See, Koda, no matter where I am in my life, there's a Kira Ford song that feels that way for me. Right now, it's weird but it's some of her early stuff--Measure Up and Keep on. In high school, it was Best Friend for the longest time."

Riley snorted. "I wonder why that could be."

Koda tilted his head.

"So you in, Riley?" Shelby asked. "Since you got that reference."

"Sure, why not."

"Count me in too," Kendall said.

"Well, Koda, my friend, shall we make it a team outing and learn what all this fuss is about?" Ivan stood, clapping Koda on the shoulder.

"Yes, good, maybe songs speak to me too," Koda replied.

"I'll buy the tickets," Chase volunteered.

"I'll buy them." Riley shook his head. "I'm off tomorrow and there's no chance I'll get stuck at work and we'll have a repeat of the N-Zed boys debacle."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Chase asked.

"Nope," Riley replied, popping the P.

* * *

A few months later, they were on the floor of the amphitheater, about five rows back from the stage. Koda immediately left them to go to the snack bar.

"Riley, how did you get these?" Shelby asked, gawking at the view.

Riley shrugged. "Just lucky I guess."

A hispanic man wearing a white, ruffled shirt and dark pants was walked up the aisle, dark eyes roving. His eyes fell on Koda and he came to a dead stop in the middle of the aisle.

Koda had to skid to a stop to keep from running into him and spilling ketchup from his curly fries all over the man's white shirt. "Oops, sorry," Koda said.

"It's OK," he said absently, his eyes moving over the rest of the group. "There's seven of you?" he asked.

"Yes?" Koda said. "Why?"

"Not here," the man winked, turning around and heading in the other direction.

"Well, that was weird," Shelby said.

"I almost run into him," Koda said. "Just glad he not mad."

"Am I paranoid, or did he stop dead when he saw Koda's Energem." Riley asked.

"You are perhaps paranoid, Sir Riley." Ivan clapped him on the back. "However, when everyone is always trying to get our Energems, it is perhaps a justifiable concern."

"So do you think I'm paranoid or not?" Riley asked.

"I think he just said you're not actually paranoid if they are out to get you," Tyler said, "but if you're paranoid, then I am too. That was weird."

"Please don't be working for Sledge." Shelby placed her palms together as if in prayer, shaking them. "Just one concert without having to leave to fight an alien; is that really too much to ask?"

Tyler glanced at Shelby, then looked up and down the row. "Ms. Morgan, why don't you and I go sneak up there and see if we can figure out what's going on."

"OK," Kendall said.

"Hang tight, Shelby, I'm sure it's nothing." Tyler squeezed her shoulder.

Riley wrinkled his nose as Tyler walked away.

Chase chuckled.

"What?" Riley asked.

Chase leaned in, "I think Tyler has a crush."

Riley looked at Chase incredulously. "This is news?"

In the meantime, Kendall and Tyler moved closer towards the stage, where the man in the white shirt was talking excitedly with a black man wearing a blue polo shirt.

"Can I see your tickets please?" A man wearing an Amber Beach Amphitheater t-shirt asked.

"Our seats are back there." Tyler gestured with his arm. "We just wanted to..." 

"Then I need to ask you to go to your seats," the usher said. "I can't let you go any further forward unless you have tickets."

"I just wanted to..."

"Sorry, son, I need to ask you to go back to your seats."

Kendall took Tyler by the arm. "Come on, Tyler." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "People are starting to stare."

"Ok, thanks," Tyler said, turning around.

"Hey, Kids," someone called.

Tyler turned to see the man who had nearly bumped into Koda approaching them.

"Um, hi?" Tyler asked.

"Glad to run into you again," the man said. "I have these for you. Meet me by Door Three after the show." He held out a bunch of stickers with Kira Ford's picture on them.

Tyler blinked.

Kendall stared. "Are these backstage passes? How did you get these?"

"Oh, didn't I introduce myself? I'm Trent Fernandez, Kira's husband."

Tyler blinked again. "Why?"

Trent took a step forward. "I can't explain here, but please take them. Trust me, please." He thrust the passes towards Tyler, which caused his sleeve to ride up, revealing a white cuff with a white jewel in the middle of it. His morpher.

How did Tyler know that?

Tyler's jaw dropped. "How do you have..."

Kendall clapped a hand over Tyler's mouth. "He said not here." She took the passes. "Thanks, Mr. Fernandez."

A man in a red soccer jersey bounced up to them, clapping Trent on the shoulder in a carefully controlled collision and then draping an arm around Trent's shoulders. There was a cuff around his wrist like Trent's, but it was red. "Trent! Here you are! I was wondering why you and Ethan weren't backstage. Are you freaking out the fans?" He turned, his eyes going to Kendall and Tyler's Energems. "Oh, you found the rookies, I see. You get them backstage passes?"

"Rookies?" Tyler mouthed.

"Yes, he did, thank you," Kendall said.

"Ladies and gentleman, the show will begin in five minutes," someone announced.

"We should get back to our seats," Kendall said. "We'll see you later."

She hauled Tyler back towards their seats.

"What happened?" Shelby hissed as they entered the row.

Kendall handed her a backstage pass.

"What? How?"

"That guy was Trent Fernandez," Tyler said.

Riley's jaw dropped. "The comic book artist?"

"And Kira's husband," Kendall said.

"And..." Tyler gathered the group into a huddle.

They pulled in close, straining to hear as Tyler whispered, "He was wearing a morpher. And so was his friend."

"How did you know?" Shelby asked.

"No idea. I just did," Tyler said.

"Me too," Kendall said.

"It's probably safe to assume that he knew the Energems were linked to our morphers then," Riley surmised.

The lights dimmed.

"We can worry about this after the show!" Shelby said, bouncing up and down.

* * *

Tyler led the others towards door three, eyes moving on a swivel. He wasn't sure what he was looking for: a trap from Sledge, a monster, Vivix, or something else entirely.

He didn't spot Sledge or any of his goons, but he did spy Trent hanging out near one of the snack vendors before they got to door 3,

"Hey, Mr. Fernandez." Tyler waved.

He headed to them like a shot. "Call me Trent, please. Mr. Fernandez has me looking around wistfully for my dad."

"I know the feeling." Tyler extended his hand for Trent to shake. "I'm Tyler."

Trent reached out, his handshake firm. Then he started towing Tyler along. "OK, Tyler, let's get out of the crush, and I can explain while we head to Kira's dressing room to meet the others."

Tyler glanced at Kendall, who was already following them.

The seven of them followed Trent past door three and towards the inside of the stadium.

"Passes please," said a guard standing near a door marked "back stage".

They each showed him their passes and then Trent led them into a tunnel. "Should be pretty quiet for a minute." He held up his arm, pulling his sleeve off of the bracelet. "You know what this is?"

"A morpher," Tyler replied.

Trent grinned. "I'm the White Dino Thunder Ranger. I was keeping an eye out for you while I was wandering around town today; I'd about given up. Rangers, we've been anxious to meet you."

"Does Kira know you were a Ranger?" Shelby asked as they made their way backstage.

"Oh yeah." Trent smiled. "She was yellow."

Shelby stopped in her tracks. "Kira Ford was the Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger? For real?" 

"For real." Trent met her eyes, dead serious.

Shelby's jaw dropped; she was otherwise frozen in place. Tyler had to grab her by the arm and tow her along to keep her from being left behind.

Trent led them to a door marked "green room". He opened it.

"Trent!" said the black man he'd been talking to earlier, who was sitting on a couch, leaning over a laptop sitting on a coffee table. "We were starting to worry that the local freakazoids had figured out who you... whoa, you found them!" He got up, and approached them. "Ethan James, Blue Dino Thunder Ranger."

"Tyler Navarro, I'm Red."

Kendall's eyes had gone wide. "Ethan James. Software mogul Ethan James?"

"That too." Ethan grinned, eyes widening as he took in her clothes. "Are you purple? R.J.'s been dying for there to be another purple."

"Yes! I am Purple. I'm Kendall Morgan, I'm Purple, and your book on coding changed my life." Kendall pushed up her glasses. "I swear, half of the things I've done for the Rangers wouldn't be possible without it."

"I suspect the other half might have been Hayley Ziktor's book?" Ethan grinned, eyes sparkling.

"How'd you know?" Kendall asked.

"She was our tech support. We kept expecting a morpher to show up for her, but it never happened." Ethan shrugged.

"Which is too bad," said a voice from behind them, "I would have loved to have had another woman on the team."

Shelby stared. Tyler elbowed her gently.

"I think I know why I was listening to 'Isolated' on repeat for so long," Shelby blushed. "I'm Shelby Watkins, Pink Ranger, and I'm so excited to meet you."

"Kira Ford, Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger, and yes, that's exactly what that song was about." Kira reached out, offering Shelby her hand to shake. 

Shelby reached out, barely aware of shaking Kira's hand. "I..." Shelby stopped. "I just really love your music, it's helped me through so many hard things in my life. Especially lately--I guess I know why."

Kira smiled. "It seems to be a thing. I grew up listening to Tanya Sloan, and then to find out she was one of Dr. O's teammates nearly floored me."

"Says the woman who wowed us all by knowing Kylie Stiles," said the man in the red shirt. He was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

"Let it go, dude," Ethan said. "This is Conner McKnight; he's Dino Thunder Red, but don't let that fool you into thinking he knows what he's doing."

Conner promptly grabbed Ethan in a headlock.

"Boys." Kira grabbed a magazine and bopped them both over the head with it. "We don't want a repeat of Pasadena."

Shelby and Kendall looked at each other and started laughing.

"See, they wrestle too," Koda said. "It not because I caveman."

Conner's arms loosened and only quick reflexes allowed him to grab Ethan before he crashed to the floor with the momentum of trying to escape. "You're a what?"

"Caveman. Energem froze me in ice. Kendall and Chase saved." Koda moved towards Kendall a bit.

Conner stood up, allowing Ethan to escape, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Wait 'til Dr. O gets a load of this."

"It might almost save you from him being mad you didn't call him Tommy," Kira said.

"Wait," Kendall said. "Are you saying Dr. Thomas Oliver is a Ranger?"

"Times a lot," Kira said. "And our mentor."

Kendall sat down, turning pale.

"Are you okay, Kendall?" Shelby sat down next to Kendall, laying a palm on her back.

"I just need to process that," Kendall said.

Kira burst into giggles. "He has that effect on people."

"I don't know whether to demand stories or beg you to never speak of it." Kendall rubbed the back of her neck.

"I don't like talking about him behind his back," Kira said.

"His older teammates have most of the good dirt anyway." Trent draped an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"I say we swap ridiculous tales of male Ranger bullheadedness instead." Kira grinned mischievously.

"We're standing right here." Trent turned to his wife, feigning a pout.

"Yes, you can defend yourselves." Kira planted a kiss on his cheek.

Shelby looked between them, then at Tyler. "I think I have a million questions."

"We maybe have time for a dozen before we need to clear out of here," Ethan pulled up a chair, turning it around and straddling the back, "but we'll get you guys set up on the secure Ranger server. You can ask the rest there."

"Ranger server?" Kendall asked.

"How else do you think twenty plus teams keep in touch?" Ethan asked. "Don't worry, it's fun. We even have a Warcraft guild."

"You joust?" Ivan's eyes grew wide.

Tyler clapped Ivan the shoulder. "It's a video game."

"Was he frozen in ice too?" Ethan asked.

"Trapped inside one of our nemeses." Ivan shuddered.

"I feel ya, I spent some time evil too." Trent leaned into Kira a little more.

The Dino Charge Rangers exchanged glances.

"Welcome to the Power Rangers, our life is weird," Kira said. "I'm just glad my music could help."

end


End file.
